Transfer-printing press for printing addresses on envelopes from negative forms on cards



-1'. R. MUTH v 2,848,941 TRANSFER-PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINTING ADDRESSES 0N ENVELOPES FROM NEGATIVE FORMS ON CARDS Filed July 22, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

730 1' k5 fiicH/MDMUTH HTTOEA/ET 6, 1958 1-. R. MUTH 2,848,941

TRANSFER-PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINTING ADDRESSES 0N ENVELOPES FROM NEGATIVE FORMS 0N CARDS Flled July 22 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Toma-s RICH/WED Mu-rH HT'TOP/VE) Aug 2.6, 1958 Filed July 22, l

R. MUTH 2,848,941 TRANSFER-PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINTING ADDRESSES ENVELOPES FROM NEGATIVE FORMS 0N CARDS 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOR.

7BL3I/g S'H/CHARD MUTH g- 1953 'r. R. MUTH 2,848,941

TRANSFER-PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINTING ADDRESSES 0N ENVELOPES FROM NEGATIVE FORMS ON CARDS Filed July 22, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. 7261M EJcHM n/VluTH HTTOEA/EY Aug. 26, 1958 'r. R. MUTH 2,848,941

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NELLO, UTAH MVVENTOR. 761am5 lficHArw UTH I ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 2,848,941 Patented Aug. 26, 1958 TRANSFER-PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINTING AD- DRESSES ON ENVELOPES FROM NEGATIVE FORMS N CARDS Tobias Richard Muth, West Orange, N. 5., assignor to William Stroll, Jr., Orange, N. J.

Application July 22, 1954, Serial No. 445,129

4 Claims. (Cl. 101-132.5)

This invention relates to a transfer-printing press for positive printing of addresses on mailing envelopes or the like from a negative form on cards produced during a positive typing or printing thereof.

One of the objects of this invention is to utilize as a machine-printing element an independent filing card having a reversely or negatively printed or typed form composed of dried ink or carbon preferably produced directly on the bottom surface of the filing card by a typing or printing impression through the card of a name and ad dress on such card, and to utilize such an independent card as a transfer printing element and printing from such negative or reversely-printed form a name and an address or the like in order to produce an addressed mailing envelope or the like, and to cause said name and address to be clearly printed thereon in positive or upright type, thus avoiding any possible mistakes that might be made in retyping or reprinting, providing such addressing or printing of envelopes at low cost, and enabling the typed card to function both as a filing card and as a printing element.

Another object of my invention is in a device of the character specified to provide in a printing press for transfer printing elements such as envelopes and formembodying cards of the type hereinabove specified a pair of reversely-rotatable printing segments, comprising a pair of rolls each having mounted on its periphery a raised segmental peripheral pad of elastic material, such as sponge rubber of suitable thickness, said pads on said rolls comprising a pair of printing segments having elastic contact with each other, in combination with novel means for guiding, wetting and feeding an envelope into an initial pad-contacting position, and independently feeding and guiding a form-carrying card into printing engagement with said envelope, said pads upon rotation in opposite directions of the rollers being adapted at one transverse edge thereof to engage a leading edge of an envelope to move the same therethrough and simultaneously to move and press a filing card having such printing form against the surface of said envelope, conjointly moving the same between and through the contacting surfaces of said segments and in such movement to elastically press the said card and its printing form into printing engagement with the envelope and thereafter at the terminal ends of such contacting pads to eject such elements at the opposite side of said rollers.

Another object of my invention is in a printing press or machine of the type specified to provide means for feeding and preparing an envelope and thereafter independently feeding into a machine or press a filing card and moving said card and envelope through a press or machine of the type specified and into registration with each other and with pressing elements of said press, said envelope or other paper element having its face up and said card or the like master printing element having such reversely printed form on its bottom surface and arranged to be pressed by said rollers into contact with said upper surface of said envelope.

Another object of my invention is in a printing press or machine of the type specified to provide means operable during the feeding movement of the envelope into registration, as aforesaid, for wetting a part of the upper contacting surface of the envelope, and preferably a middle section thereof in order to provide a non-blurring wetting of the printing form and thus to produce a heavier and clearer impression on the envelope from a dry ink or carbon form on the filing card.

Another object of my invention is in a machine of the type specified having an envelope or the like to be printed and an independent filing card provided with a printing form, to provide a pair of rollers having a pair of segmental portions adapted simultaneously to elastically engage and move through such segments an envelope and card in contact and proper registry with each other from a starting position into which they are suitably fed through a press-printing movement and thereafter at the end of said printing movement to cause ejection by said segments and to provide means for separating the card from the envelope and to move said card and envelope through separate channels to independent receptacles.

Another object of my invention is in a machine of the character specified to provide means for independently and separately guiding the side edges of said envelope and card while the body portions thereof are being subjected to the printing pressure of said segments, and thus to enable ready separation of said card and envelope after printing.

Still another object of my invention is to provide in the machine means for drying the printing form on the card before final ejection thereof.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to co-act and cooperate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine having a portion of the frame at the top broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3A is a fragmentary similar section showing the pressure rollers in partly rotated position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary illustrative view showing the method of feeding to the pressure rollers the envelope and what I shall call the printing-transfer card;

Fig. 5 shows an envelope before printing and indicates in dotted lines the area thereof which is wetted prior to contact thereof with the bottom surface of the cards which embodies the printing to be transferred;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the printing card, which, as aforesaid, embodies on its reverse surface the printing which is to be transferred to the upper wetted surface of the envelope; and

Fig. 7 is a view of an envelope which has been printed or addressed.

Referring now to these drawings, Figs. 6 and 6A thereof show a filing card composed of card-board of a thinness, flexibility and softness to permit typing or printing impressions to be made therethrough. In accordance with my invention, this card has positively printed or typed on the upper surface thereof the name and address C of an individual and such positive typing or printing is used to provide on the opposite surface of the card a negatively-printed form F composed of dried ink, carbon or like material. This negatively-printed form F is preferably produced by placing a sheet of carbon or like paper with the carbon or dry ink surface disposed upwardly in contact with the bottom surface of the card during the positive typing thereon of the name and address, and is employed by me as a negative printing form or element for printing said name and address C positively on a companion printing element preferably comprising a mailing envelope E, 'as hereinafter more particularly specified. I have found that a form F made as above specified may be used many times to transfer and print said name and address on many envelopes. By this method of transfer also all possibility of mistakes which might be made in transcription of said name and address from the card C to the envelope E are eliminated.

I have found also that the clarity of the transfer printing of said name and address which will appear particularly on the envelope may be greatly increased by an initial wetting of the contacting surface of the envelope and the subsequent pressing of said card and envelope together with the bottom surface of said card in contact with said upper wetted surface of the envelope.

In accordance with the preferred form of my invention hereinafter specified, the positive printing of envelopes from said negative form of names and addresses is carried out in a machine embodying rotatable segmental pressure elements comprising elastic pads mounted on pressure rollers for elastically engaging and moving said two printing elements between or through the segmental elastic pad on the rollers and simultaneously applying a printing pressure thereto.

I will now describe in detail my machine for utilizing a flexible envelope of the type hereinabove specified as an operating element for starting the printing operation for the printing on such envelope or the like of suitable legends, such as names and addresses, from printing forms composed of negative type produced on the back of a flexible cardboard element, such as a filing or sorting card, by a positive impression through the card as hereinabove specified, and will also describe my preferred form of segmental pressure-applying members or rollers and my means for feeding and positioning said printing elements in relation to the printing rollers prior to such pressure printing and for subsequently separating the envelope and card after such printing and passage through such pressure printing rollers.

The machine or press as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a base provided with side walls 11 and 12 having mounted therein in vertical alignment two pairs such as shown at 14 and 15 of suitably spaced journal members having rotatably mounted therein a pair of shafts 25 and 26 on which are mounted my printing unit comprising segmental-printing members composed, as more particularly shown in Fig. 3, of a pair of oppositely-rotating rollers 42 and 43 having mounted thereon contacting segmental pads 44 and 45 of a soft elastic material, such as sponge rubber, said rollers being slightly spaced apart and having mounted on portions of their peripheries said similar, contacting segmental pads of soft rubber. These pads 44 and 45 are of similar dimensions and are placed in direct opposition to each other on said rollers.

Supported on the base member 10 (see Figs. 1 and 2) is a power unit comprising, as shown, an electric motor which is in turn connected to a gear reduction box '21 through which a driving sprocket 22 is rotated. A chain 23 meshing with the sprocket 22 drives another sprocket 24 which is mounted on shaft 25 for rotation thereof and said shaft has fixedly mounted thereon a gear G which meshes with and drives the gear G for rotating the shaft 26 and roller 45. Thus, the opposed rollers 42 and 43 are rotated in opposite directions and the contacting surfaces of the pressure-printing segmental pads 44 and 45 mounted thereon abut and are pressed firmly into pressing engagement with each other. Said 4 padded rollers 42 and 43 are of short width relatively to the width of the machine and of the envelope for the feeding and printing of which the machine is adapted and, as shown, the segmental pads are mounted within an opening 59 in a guide plate 58 and the edge portions 59a of said opening serve as sests for the end portions of one of the printing elements, and as shown for the card element C during movement through the segmental pads and consequently maintain the card in a position which is at all times separate and independent of the other printing element or envelope E.

The press feeding mechanism The card is preferably fed by gravity to the printing pads from a chute 67 located above and positioned closely adjacent to the pressure printing pads 44 and 45. The mechanism for feeding the envelope to the printing press unit extends forwardly toward the front of the machine and secured to the side walls 11 and 12 of said machine and extending in elevated position at the feeding end thereof are a pair of shaft supporting members 16 and 17. The feed mechanism is preferably driven from the shaft 25 of the printing roller. Thus, mounted on shaft 25 (see Figs. 1 and 2) is sprocket 27 which drives chain 28, which in turn meshes with and drives sprocket 29 that is fixed on and drives the shaft 30, which is supported in said side supporting members 16 and 17 and on which is mounted roller 65 comprising the lower member of a pair of envelope-feed rollers 6565. The upper member of said pair of envelopefeed rollers 65-65' hereinabove referred to is also supported in said side supporting members 16 and 17 on a parallel shaft 31 which is suitably spaced above the shaft 30. The rollers 65, 65' have their meeting perip-heries located adjacent to and in alignment with the meeting peripheries of a pair of segmental pads 44 and 45 on the pressure-applying rollers 42 and 43. On said shaft 30 driven, as aforesaid, by sprocket 29 is mounted gear 33 which meshes with gear 34 to drive the shaft 31 on which said roller 65 is mounted. Said envelope feed rollers 65, 65 are, as shown, both positively driven and will therefore positively deliver to the aligned pressure printing rollers an envelope or other similar member that is passed between them, and, in accordance with my invention, means is provided for evenly wetting the surface of the upper roller 65 and consequently wetting the middle contacting section of the envelope during the movement thereof through said pair of rollers 65, 65. The roller 65 is therefore provided with a liquid-receiving and transmitting surface preferably composed of a suitable rubber or plastic which contacts with and evenly Wets said section of the envelope E just prior to its delivery to the printing pressure rollers 42 and 43.

Suitable means is provided for evenly wetting with a suitable liquid preferably comprising an alcohol solution the surface of the roller 65, and in the preferred embodiment of my invention shown, I employ a liquid transfer means 62 comprising a liquid container 62 and two liquid transfer rollers 63 and 64, one of which, namely, the roller 63 is a dipping roller with a surface covering of rubber or the like and is arranged to rotate with its surface extending into contact with the liquid within the container, while the other roller 64 (which is a spreading roller and mounted between and contacts at one portion of its periphery with the roller 63 and at another portion with the roller 65) has a surface covering composed of a suitable fabric and is adapted to distribute and transmit liquid received from the roller 63 to the roller 65. Said rollers 63 and 64 are mounted slightly above the plane of feeding of the envelope and in frictional contact with each other and are driven by frictional contact with the roller 65 and said rollers 64 and 63, which are mounted on shafts 46 and 47 suitably supported in the supporting side members 16 and 17, and said rollers are positioned rearwardly of the roller 65 so as to enable the transmission of liquid from the container 62 by roller 63 first to the roller 64 and finally to the roller 65 which wets the upper surface of the envelope during the final feed thereof to the pressure rollers.

Means is provided for transmitting or moving the envelope from the envelope-receiving chute 66 to the positive feeding rollers 65, 65' and for this purpose shafts 48, 49 are also mounted between side support members 16 and 17 and carry on them two pairs of pulleys 50 and 51 over which are passed a pair of transmission belts 52. An envelope E which may be passed manually or otherwise into chute 66 drops on the belts 52 and by such belts are transmitted to and between the feed rollers 65, 65', and by said rollers are positively moved over the base plate and into contact with the segments 44 and 45 of the rollers 42 and 43, and during such movement contacts with the micro-switch 68 to cause a movement of the rollers 42 and 43 and a pressing engagement of the envelope and card between the segments 44 and 45.

The ejection mechanism Supported between side support members 18 and 19 at the ejection side of the pressure rollers 42 and 43 are a pair of shafts 37 and 38, which through chain 39 is driven from sprocket 26 on shaft 26 and also has mounted thereon gear 40 which meshes with gear 41 which is fast on shaft 38.

Roller 61 (see Fig. 3) is mounted at the ejection end of the pressure printing segments on the shafts 37 and its periphery rotates just above the plane of movement and ejection of the envelope and card from the padded rollers 42 and 43, while a pair of spaced rollers 55 which are mounted on the shaft 38 have their peripheral surfaces rotating just below the said plane of movement and ejection of the envelope and card. These rollers 55 form the driving members for a pair of similarly spaced belts 57 stretched between said pair of rollers 55 and a pair of rollers 56 on the shaft 54 adjacent to the ejection end of the machine. These belts 57 are adapted to receive the outer edges of the card C previously supported by the edge portions 59 of the plate 58 and move said card without contact with the centrally positioned printing form on the lower surface thereof.

The roller 43, which comprises the driving member for the shafts 37 and 38 of the rollers 61 and 55, moves for only one revolution at a time. Consequently said rollers 61 and 55 have a similar one revolution movement and the belts driven by the rollers 55 will thus move only intermittently, and, consequently, when a card C is received by said belts it will be moved thereon a distance equal only to one revolution of the roller 55, whereupon it will remain stationary until the next operation or revolution of the pressing rollers, consequently providing an interval for drying of the printing form on said card which has been wetted by contact with the wetted envelope during printing therefrom when positioned between the segments 44 and 45 of the rollers 42 and 43.

The belts 57 thus receive and transmit the card C (see Fig. 3) to the ejection chute S comprising a plate 82 which, as shown, is wide enough to extend between the rear supporting side members 18 and 19, respectively, and which thus extends to opposite sides of longitudinallydisposed vertical guide members 72 and 73 which guide and prevent side shifting of the card after passing between the roller 61 and the side portions of the plate 58 to the place of final ejection of said card.

The thin metal plate member 58 is arranged between the side walls 11 and 12 and has portions which extend horizontally between the spaced peripheral portions of the segments 44 and 45 and rollers 42 and 43. Said plate 58 also extends from one side wall member to the other at a level or plane coincidingwith the meeting peripheries of said segmental pads 44 and 45. This plate member 58, as shown, is provided with a wide centrally-positioned opening at 59 (see Fig. 4) and has portions 59 which extend along and adjacent to opposite ends of the rollers 42 and 43 so as to permit rotary movement therebetween of the segments 44 and 45 of the said rollers 42 and 43. Said plate 58 also has a central rib or part 58 in alignment with the line of peripheral contact of the segmental pads 44 and 45. Said plate thus extends inwardly between the unpadded and spaced sections of the rollers and into a position in close adjacency to the contacting peripheral surfaces of the pads 44 and 45 as they rotate with the rollers 42 and 43.

The shaft 37 carrying a relatively short roller 61 is also mounted, as aforesaid, between the side wall members 11 and 12 and has a surface composed of rubber with its periphery arranged substantially at the level of the periphery of the upper segmental pad 45. This roller also coincides with and contacts upper side surface porions 59' of the plate 58. Rotation of this roller 61 thus acts to contact the top surface of the card C and to engage the edges thereof and move said card in cooperation with and above said plate after ejection thereof by the segmental pads. Rotation of this roller 61 thus causes a movement of the card C from a position adjacent to the meeting line of the segmental pads 44 and 45 and delivery of the same over the cross-piece 58 of the plate 58, thus delivering said card to the ejection belts 57.

The pair of rollers 55 which rotates, as aforesaid, be low the plane of movement during printing ofthe card and envelope are positioned below and to the rear of the roller 61 so that the belts mounted thereon receive the card C as aforesaid.

Operation of the machine is as follows:

To accomplish rotation of the rollers 42 and 43 and their segmental pads 44 and 45, the envelope facing upwardly is fed between the spaced sections of the envelope chute 66, moves by gravity down along said chute onto traveling belts 52 and is then guided between guide members 76, '71 hereinafter referred to. The belts 52 carry the envelope into position between rollers 65--65 where the upper face of the envelope is wetted by the envelopecontacting and applying roller 65 of the wetting rollers. Upon passage between rollers 65 and 65' the envelope is positively delivered to a position with its forward longitudinal edge extending into contact with the soft-rubber segments 44 and 45 but just prior thereto and during positive movement by the rollers 65, 65 contacts with and operates the micro-switch 68 which closes an electric circuit that causes one rotation of the rollers 42 and 43. The envelope, as aforesaid, contacts and closes the microswitch which thereupon energizes a solenoid marked Sol in Figs. 1 and 2, the movable member X of which in turn releases a dog D which causes actuation of a one revolution clutch C. The said solenoid is spring-actuated so that when one cycle is completed, it will not operate again until another envelope E reaches the micro-switch.

The machine operator places a card C in an independently-mounted card chute S with the printing form thereon facing downwardly. Said card C rides down the inclined face of chute S, which is positioned closely adjacent to the padded pressure printing rollers 42, 43, and is independently guided by the angular flanges 67 into a position directly above the envelope and in contact with the upper segmental pad 45. The card is slightly wider than the rollers 25 and 26 and when the micro-switch 68, which, as illustrated in Fig. 4, is operated by the envelope and closes the electric circuit that causes the rotation of rollers 42 and 43 carrying the segmental pads 44 and 45 above shafts 25 and 26, the card is also engaged by said pads. Thus, the upper surface of the card will come into contact with the periphery of the upper pad 45 and under surface of the card having been brought into proper registry with the envelope, its body portion containing the printing form will be gripped and pressed against the envelope and between the segments 44 and 45 which by rotation thereof causes the printing form to be brought into proper contact with the wetted upper section of the upper surface or face of the envelope.

The plate 58 is, as aforesaid, constructed with the opening 59 within which the pads 44 and 45 move and as said pads move the card C slides along the upper surfaces 59 at the edges of said opening.

The envelope having operated the mirco-switch 68, said envelope will, with the card in its position above the same, be engaged by said segments 4445 and moved between them to produce a pressing operation. At the opposite side of the pads 4544 the envelope moves beneath the plate 58 and immediately drops downwardly while the card is guided by the edges 59 of the opening in said plate 58 to move into contact with the roller 61 and thence onto the transmission elements B comprising the belts 57.

The segments 44 and 45 of rollers 42 and 43 thus pass through a pressing operation, as aforesaid, and in such operation the body of the card will be engaged by said segments and moved into contact with the roller 61 while its edges are guided and held above said plate 58. The roller 61 will thus deliver the card to the travelling belts 57 which in turn will move the same to the card chute 82, whereupon it is ejected from the machine into a suitable hopper not shown.

The envelope in passage through the pads 44 and 45 is moved below the plate 58 travelling along the lower surface of said plate 58, and is deflected downwardly by a downward extension 69 comprising an integral part of said plate 58. Said envelope is thereby deflected out of the machine and into a suitable envelope hopper not shown.

The'guide members 70-71 which guide the outer edges of the envelope in its passage to the pressure pads are mounted in alignment with the members 66 of the chute S between side frame members 16, 17, 18 and 19. The angular guide members 67 which are arranged at the side edges of the chute S independently guide the card into printing contact with the envelope are adjustably mounted on plates 67 extending to the members 7071. The guide members 7273 which finally guide the card from contact with roller 61 and by movement of said roller onto the belt 57 are mounted on the rod 72 supported in the side members 17 and 18. Said independent guide members keep the card in proper relationship to the envelope in their passage into and through the machine and all said guides are adjustable so that any size envelope or card may be used.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A transfer-printing press for positive printing of addresses on mailing envelopes or the like from negative printing forms on cards comprising a pair of reverselyrotatable shafts each provided with a pad-supporting cylinder and mounted in parallel alignment with each other, a pair of segmental members rotatable reversely by said shafts and cylinders in peripheral engagement with each other, said segmental members comprising peripheral pads of elastic material mounted on the peripheries of said pad-supporting cylinder and having a smooth elastic surface raised above the surface of said supporting rollers and provided with sharply defined terminal ends for a non-slipping engagement and abrupt positive release of the printing elements, said shafts and supporting cylinders being so disposed in relation to each other to produce between said segmental pads peripheral engagement of sufficient elastic compression to provide a positive gripping engagement of interposed printing elements of sheet material and to elastically compensate for varying thicknesses, folds and overlapping joints of such printing elements of sheet material and also to produce a simultaneous printing movement of such interposed printing elements between said segmental members upon such reverse rotary movement, means for guiding and moving into contact with the engaging peripheries of said segmental members edge portions of a pair of printing elements having surfaces thereof facing each other in printing alignment with each other, one of said printing elements being provided on a surface facing the other with a negative printing form, means for moving said shafts and pad supports to produce a rotary movement of said segmental members in opposite directions to each other, whereby said printing elements are elastically gripped between said segmental pads and are moved under a transfer printing pressure applied by said segmental members on said printing elements.

2. A transfer-printing press for positive printing of addresses on mailing envelopes or the like from negative printing forms on .cards as claimed in claim 1 in which actuating means is provided for reversely rotating said segmental members simultaneously with the insertion of one pair of printing elements into peripheral contact with said segmental members for rotating said shafts and cylinders to produce said rotary movement of said segmental members in opposite directions to each other.

3. A transfer-printing press for positive printing of addresses on mailing envelopes or the like from a negative form on cards comprising a pair of reversely-rotatable shafts mounted in parallel alignment with each other, pad-carrying cylinders rotatable on said shafts and having peripheral surfaces slightly spaced from each other, said cylinders having fixedly mounted on their peripheries matching raised segmental pads of elastic material adapted to have peripheral engagement with each other upon rotary movement thereof in reverse directions and to provide a smooth elastic surface raised above the surface of said supporting rollers and provided with sharply defined terminal ends for a non-slipping engagement and abrupt positive release of the printing elements, said peripheral engagement providing a secure gripping and movement in between said segmental pads of paper material to be press-printed thereby, a pair of positivelydriven feed rollers having meeting peripheral surfaces extending in a plane registering with the plane of joint contact between the peripheral surfaces of said pads, means for moving the said rollers to carry an envelope to be printed into contact with the meeting peripheral surfaces of said pads, carrier feed belts for moving said envelope into engaging contact with said pair of positively-driven rollers, guiding means extending in a plane above said meeting joint of said peripheral pad surfaces and guiding into contact with said joint a card provided with a printing form, an electric switch arranged adjacent to said joint and having an element operable by contact with one of said printing elements to actuate an independent electric motor to produce a single revolution of said shafts and pad-carrying cylinders for rotating said segmental pads to cause an elastic gripping engagement and traveling of said printing elements between said elastic pads to produce a printing impression from said form to said envelope during such moving engagement, and means at the opposite side of said segmental pads to receive and separate said printing elements upon passage thereof through said segmental pads.

4. A transfer-printing press for positive printing of addresses on mailing envelopes or the like from negative printing forms on cards comprising a pair of reverselyrotatable shafts each provided with a pad-supporting cylinder and mounted in parallel alignment with each other, a pair of segmental members rotatable reversely by said shafts and cylinders in peripheral engagement with each other, said segmental members comprising peripheral pads of elastic material mounted on and raised above the peripheries of said pad-supporting cylinders and having a smooth elastic surface raised above the surface of said supporting rollers and provided with sharply defined terminal ends for a non-slipping engagement and abrupt positive release of the printing elements, said shafts and supporting cylinders being so disposed in relation to each other to produce between said segmental pads peripheral engagement of sufficient elastic compression to elastically compensate for varying thicknesses, folds and overlapping joints of such printing elements of sheet material and to provide a positive gripping engagement of such interposed printing elements of sheet material and a simultaneous printing movement of such elements between said segmental members upon such reverse rotary movement, means for guiding and moving into contact with the engaging peripheries of said segmental members edge portions of a pair of printing elements having surfaces thereof facing each other in printing alignment with each other, one of said printing elements being provided on a surface facing the other with a negative printing form, means for moving said shafts and pad supports to produce an independent single-revolution of rotary movement of said segmental members in opposite directions to each other, whereby said printing elements are elastically gripped between said segmental pads and are moved under a transfer printing pressure applied by said segmental members on said printing elements, said means for moving said shaft comprising an electric motor and starting means therefor comprising a micro-switch oper- 10' able by contact with one of the members of said printing elements to close an electric switch and simultaneously with the insertion of said printing element into contact with peripheries of said segment members to cause a rotation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UN'ITET) STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent no; 2,848,941- August 26, 1958 Tobias Richard Muth It is herebfi certified that error appears in the-printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line 6, for "sests" read he rests column 8, line 14,

after "one" insert of a Signed and sealed this 11th day of November 1958.

KARL HI, ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

